History and Prehistory
in theNational Park System and theNational Historic Landmarks ProgramThe Thematic Framework

I. The Thematic Framework

X. Westward Expansion of the British Colonies and the United States, 1763-1898

This theme embraces the expansion of the British colonies and the
United States from the crest of the Appalachians across the North
American continent and into the Pacific Ocean, between the Proclamation
of 1763 and the end of the Spanish-American War.

A. British and United States Explorations of the West

Included in this subtheme are the activities of military and civilian
explorers west of the Appalachians from the 1760s to the early
1870s.

This subtheme encompasses the history of the American fur trade west of
the Appalachians from the days of the "long hunters" in Kentucky in the
1760s through the activities of the fur seal and sea otter trappers in
Alaskan waters during the late 1890s.

This subtheme covers the relations between the British colonies and
the United States with the aboriginal peoples west of the Appalachians
(including military confrontations and conflicts) from 1763 to 1891.

1. East of the Mississippi, 1763-1850s
2. The Southern Plains
3. The Northern Plains
4. The Southwest
5. The Western Mountains
6. The Pacific Coast

D. Western Trails and Travelers

Included in this subtheme are the development of commercial and
migratory trails westward and the history of their use and users.

1. First Westward Trails East of the Mississippi
2. Santa Fe Trail
3. Oregon Trail and Settlement of Oregon
4. California Trails and Settlement of California
5. Mormon Migration and Settlement of the Great Basin

E. The Mining Frontier

This subtheme treats all phases of the history of mining west of the
Appalachians from the mid-18th century until the end of the 19th.

This subtheme addresses thus extension of agriculture from the
Appalachians to the Pacific coast between the end of the French and
Indian War and the close of the 19th century, when most cheap land
suitable for farming had been appropriated.

1. Farming Frontier of the Old Northwest, 1763-1820
2. Settling and Farming tine Eastern Prairies, 1820-1861
3. Later Settlements and Farming in the California Valley, Oregon, and Washington
4. Settling and Farming in the Great Plains, 1862-1900

G. The Cattlemen's Empire

This subtheme is concerned with the history of the cattle industry
west of the Appalachians, which reached its apogee in the Great Plains
during the latter half of the 19th century. Major phases include the
large open Texas ranges of the 1860s and the transition to the enclosed
holdings of the large cattle companies in the 1880s.